Page 112 of Tango

Saturday

“What’s that?” Chanti asked, dropping her purse to the floor and picking up the paper from the table.

“Vivian’s resignation letter. I found it in my email this morning. I printed it off for my files. She’s decided to accept a fellowship in Arizona. Jay has finally agreed to relocate.”

Chanti pulled out a chair and popped down. “Yeah, I’d relocate, too, after that shit show last night.”

“I’m happy for her. She was a PhD candidate, and I always felt guilty that she was cleaning up mouse poop.”

Chanti glanced toward Piper’s bedroom. “Lover boy’s here?”

“Stop. He’s on his way with the pizza. He was offended that you wanted to put sardines on your half. He’s getting one specifically for you. No fish cooties.”

“By the way, everyone at work knows your lawyer, and they all wanted me to tell them what was going on. So I did. And now it’s wildfire on the socials.”

“The world knows, hooray!” Piper took a deep breath and held it as long as she could, then let it out in a whoosh, hoping it would take some stress with it. “The Harcourts will be exposed, and the dangers revealed, and I am no longer potentially killing people.” Piper pulled her foot up onto her chair, wrapped her leg with her arms, and rested her chin on her knee. “I talked to Ria—that’s Lionel’s sister—this morning while you were doing your research. She said the computer was lost to the fire.”

“All of it?” Chanti asked. “And your lab?”

“Gone, not that I would have anything to do with Alabaster ever again.”

“You have the mouse lab. And you downloaded your work for me. I’ve secured it.”

“Thank you.” Piper smiled weakly. This had wiped her out. Double wiped her. She was almost completely and totally wiped. “I told Ria what I think Lionel and Amanda did.”

“What time was this

“Around nine when Ethan and I got up. When I got up,” Piper amended. “Ethan was out running Tango at the break of dawn.” Then with a smile, “When we got up together around nine.”

“Got it, you don’t need to go further. Glad you had fun.” Chanti picked up Piper’s drink and took a swig. “Speaking of the golden boy, social media is abuzz once again with pictures of Hunky McHunkster carrying you to his truck in your snot-colored dress. The women are offended that he’s so cute and you have such horrible taste in clothes. He deserves better.”

“He does.”

“They have new memes,” Chanti said. “There’s speculation that this is a complex ruse to gain attention for an upcoming film or something.”

Piper wrinkled her nose. “You know you can turn your phone off.”

“I have more newsy stuff.” Chanti stopped. “Should this wait? You look done in.”

“Go.” Piper waved her hand. Better to get it all out and be done with it.

“My friends got in touch with Lionel—”

“The sociopathic family buster,” Piper grumped.

“Yes, him. So, it’s good that you told Ria about the formula and her brother, but these guys broke the news to Lionel and Amanda themselves. He and Amanda are flying to Singapore on their private jet as we speak to check into the oncology hospital there for a look-see. How do we know that? Because they’re hackers and this is what they do for fun.”

“And?” Piper asked.

“And that’s it. That’s all that can be done for them. Now it’s on the doctors. You have nothing to do with them or their choices.”

“Okay. That’s it?”

“That’s it,” Chanti said, then held up a finger. “There is a good get-rich-quick scheme, and you’re the single person who might be able to figure this out.”

“What?”

“There’s a huge reward for any information that could lead to the arrest of the jewelry thieves that robbed the party people at Alabaster last night.”